Signal attachment for clocks.



0. P. RAGAN.

SIGNAL ATTAUHMENT FOR CLOCKS.

APPLICATION FILED Mn. 10, 1910.

976,214. Patented Nov. 22, '1910.

2 SHEETS-SEEET 1.

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v 0. P. RAGAN. SIGNAL ATTACHMENT FOR CLOCKS. 1

APPLICATION FILED IlRulB, 1910.

Patented Nov. 22, 1910.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- v A I I I T www- M 5 6 k I'II'I'I'III UNITED STATESPATENT OFFICE.

OWEN P. RAGAN, OF RIDGEWAY, MISSOURI.

SIGNAL ATTACHMENT FOR CLOCKS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 22, 1910.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, OWEN P. RAGAN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Ridgeway, in the county of Harrison and State of Missouri,have invented a new and useful Improvement in Signal Attachments forClocks, of which the following is a speciiication.

This invention relates to an attachment for a clock by means of which aseries of signals may be given at one or more points and atpredetermined times by means of the common electric bells.

This invention is an improvement upon the construction shown anddescribed in the patent granted to me April 28, 1908 and given Number885,953.

The invention consists in the novel features of construction hereinafterfully described, pointed out in the claims and shown in the accompanyingdrawings, in which,

Figure 1 is a face view of a clock with my attachment applied thereto, acasing being partly shown in section and the circuits being showndiagrammatically. Fig. 2 is a greatly enlarged perspective view of a setof brushes designed to be carried by the hour hand. Fig. 3 is alongitudinal section taken through one of said brushes, the hour handand other parts being shown in transverse section, the parts being shownin operative position. Fig. t is a similar view the parts being shown ininoperative position and a rack bar for lifting the parts intoinoperative position being shown in side elevation. Fig. 5 is anenlarged sectional view of a portion of the face of a clock, certainmetallic rings being shown in cross section. Fig. 6 is a detailperspective view centrally broken out of a conductor bar which forms apart of the circuits leading to the clock. Fig. 7 is an enlarged detailsection illustrating the mounting of the case upon the arbor.

In these drawings, 1 represents a series of concentric rings arrangedupon the face of a clock, each ring being formed of a metal strip asshown in Fig. 5, said rings being slightly spaced apart and secured uponan insulated base 2 which forms the face of the clock. These rings arearranged vertically upon the clock face, and are provided at suitableintervals with lateral lugs or foot pieces 3 through which screws orbolts may be passed for the purpose of securing the rings in place. Asimilar series of smaller rings 1 are also arranged upon the clock faceI and within the' first mentioned series. Brushes 5 carried respectivelyby the hour and minute hands travel respectively upon the rings 1 and 1.These brushes in detail consist of a T-shaped arm 6 the head of which isprovided with two slots 7 and this head is secured upon the underside ofthe hand by means of suitable machine screws, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4,the slots permitting proper adjustment so that the brushes will registerwith the rings above which they are to travel. At its free end the arm 6carries a bar. 8, which is preferably integral with the arm and said barhas its end portions bent downwardly as shown at 9 to form bearings fora shaft 10 upon which are pivotally mounted contact brushes 11, saidbrushes resting upon and being held in proper normal position by meansof a cam roller 12.

The brush 11 has its free end bent downwardly to form a flange 11 andupon the underside of said brush is secured a metal plate 13 secured bya machine screw 14L which passes through a slot 15 in the plate 13 andthreads into the brush 11, the slot be ing of such size that the screwdoes not touch the sides of said slot. This plate is insulated by anysuitable insulating material 16 both from the underside of the brush andfrom the inner face of the flange or angle 11.

The plate 13 is employed in order that the brush may ride smoothly overcontacts to be hereafter described, and is insulated from the brush inorder to shorten the time during which the circuit is completed as itwill be obvious that a circuit will be established through the brushonly during contact between the end of the flange 11 and a suitable pinor other contact plate. Springs 17 are secured upon the bar 8 and havetheir free end portions bearing upon the upper faces of the brushes, andit will be understood that there are as many brushes 11 carried by eachbar as there are rings for the complete brush to travel on.

The cam roller 12 is in the form of a oylindrical rod one-half of whichis removed between the ends and in the brush carried by the hour handthis roller carries at one end a toothed wheel 18. Normally the brushesrest upon the flattened face of said roller and in a position to justclear the rings 4: and to engage bifurcated contact points 19 which. areplaced upon said rings, and which can be slipped along the rings frompoint to point but it will be obvious that in connection with programclocks, such as are employed in schools, signals are desired only duringthe day and to automatically cut out such signals during the night, orbetween any particular hours, I place upon the face of the clock a rackbar 20 in position to be engaged by the wheel 18.

Assuming that said rack is placed opposite the hour numeral VI and thatduring the day the parts have normally been in the position shown inFig. 3, it will be seen that as the hour hand brings its brush to therack 20, the wheel 18 will be given a half rotation, thus turning thecam roller and lifting the pivoted brush members against the ten sion ofthe springs 17 into the position shown in Fig. 4; and that in saidposition the brushes will clear all points which may be placed upon therings, and no circuit will be completed through the rings 1, whichcircuit is essential to the giving of a signal until the hour hand hasagain reached the numeral VI the next morning when a second halfrotation will return the parts to their normal position. The minute handbrush is provided also with a similar cam roller, but as it is onlynecessary to break the circuit at one point the wheel 18 is omitted andin its place, I substitute any suitable form of handle 21, by means ofwhich the brush members of the minute hand brush can be lifted, in orderto prevent the brushes from striking a pin in case the minute hand is tobe turned back.

The pins may be of any shape or size desued in order to shorten orlengthen the time of contact, and may be constructed or arranged so asto produce a single signal or a combination of any number of signals.These pins fit upon the metal rings sufiiciently tight to prevent acontact brush from disturbing their position but at the same time may bereadily moved along the ring by hand in order to set the device, and itwill of course be obvious that any number of pins can be employed, andseveral may be used if desired upon the same ring.

To connect the attachment to exterior electric circuits I provideconductor bars 22 angled at one end as shown at 23 and having an oblongslot adjacent the other end as at 24. The slotted end extends back ofthe dial face 2 and is held thereto by machine screws 25 which alsoserve to connect the bars 22 with the rings 1 and 4. These screws passthrough a portion of the lugs 3, machine screws being employed at thepoint-s where bars are to be connected but wood screws being employedfor use in connection with lugs intended only to secure the rings inplace. The angled end portions of the bars 22 are secured to the clockcasing 26 by means of suitable binding posts 27, and these binding postsare divided into two sets corresponding to the two series of rings, onebinding post of each set being connected to wires of a circuit. If forexample bells 28 are to be rung in four separate places, each bell wouldbe connected to a binding post of one set and to a binding post of theother set by the usual conductor wires 29 and it will be understood thateach binding post is connected by a bar 22 to one of the rings one setof binding posts being connected to the inner series of rings 4 and theother set to the outer series 1. Each bell is therefore in circuit witha ring of each series and to complete the circuit brushes upon both thehour and minute hands must at the same time engage pins upon theirrespective rings. For example if it is desired to give a signal at thepoint A the bell at which point is in circuit with the inner ring ofeach series, and is desired that said bell should ring at fifteenminutes past one a pin 22 is moved to the proper point on the inner ringfor engagement by the hour hand brush, and the pin is moved to theproper point on the inner ring of the outer series for engagement by thebrush of the minute hand. At fifteen minutes past one the brushescarried by the two hands will engage their respective pins and a circuitwill be established extending from the bell 28 at A to and through itsbinding post 27, the bar 22, the inner ring of the outer series, theminute hand. along the minute hand to the hour hand, thence from saidhour hand by way of the brush to the inner ring of the series 4, thencealong its connecting bar 22 to a second binding post 27 and back to thesaid bell, batteries of course being placed at any desired point betweenthe binding post 27 and the bell 28.

In Fig. 7, I have shown an enlarged view of the arbor with a spring bar30 employed for the purpose of preventing lost motion with the hour hand31 and minute hand 32 of the clock.

lVhat I claim is 1. The combination with the hour and minute hands of aclock, of brushes carried by said hands, a series of inner and outerrings, said rings registering respectively with the brushes, the brushesbeing out of contact with the rings, pins slidable on said rings, and inposit-ion to be normally engaged by said brushes, the said rings formingpart of a series of electric circuits, and means carried by the brushesfor lifting them so that they will clear the pins.

2. The combination with a clock dial having hour and minute hands, aseries of outer and inner rings arranged upon the dial, a series ofelectric circuits, each circuit including one of the outer and one ofthe inner rings, pins slidably mounted upon said rings, spring pressedbrushes carried by the hands adapted to register with said rings andnormally adapted to engage the pins and means for lifting the brushescarried by one hand at a predetermined period of time.

8. In a device of the kind described, the combination with a clock hand,of a T- shaped arm, the head of which is adjustably connected to saidhand, a bar carried by the free end of said arm and having doWn- Wardlyturned end portions, a pivoted shaft journaled in said end portions,contact brushes pivotally mounted upon said shaft, springs secured tosaid arm and bearing upon said brushes, and a rotatable cam rollersupporting said brushes, as and for the purpose set forth.

1-. In a device of the kind described, the

combination With a clock hand, said hand being in an electric circuit, apivoted brush member supported from said hand, adjustable contact pointsin position to be normally engaged by said hand, a cam roller normallysupporting the brush in operative position and means for giving saidroller a partial rotation at a predetermined time thereby lifting saidbrush into inoperative position, as and for the purpose set forth.

OWEN I. RAG-AN.

Witnesses EARLE Gr. SPRAGG, CARL O. WHISLER.

